CN116741043A

CN116741043A - Electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN116741043A
Application number: CN202310231417.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 森野贵之; 刘雅璐; 宫本旅人
Original assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Ltd
Current assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Ltd
Priority date: 2022-03-11
Filing date: 2023-03-10
Publication date: 2023-09-12
Also published as: JP2023132734A; US20230287929A1; JP7293436B1; EP4242791A1

Abstract

The invention provides an electronic device capable of stably supporting a bent display. An electronic device includes a first housing, a second housing, a hinge device that connects the first housing and the second housing to each other in a rotatable manner, and a display that is provided between the first housing and the second housing. The hinge device has a hinge body, a first support plate, and a second support plate. The hinge body has a first locking piece locked on the back side of the first support plate and a second locking piece locked on the back side of the second support plate. The first support plate has a first plate-side locking piece locked to the back side of the hinge body, and the second support plate has a second plate-side locking piece locked to the back side of the hinge body.

Description

Electronic equipment

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electronic device in which a plurality of housings are connected by a hinge device.

Background

In recent years, electronic devices such as PCs and smartphones having a touch panel type liquid crystal display, but not having a physical keyboard, have been rapidly spreading. For the display of such an electronic device, it is desirable that it is large when in use and that it is capable of miniaturization when not in use. Accordingly, an electronic device has been proposed in which a flexible display such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence: electroluminescence) is used so that not only the housing but also the display can be folded (for example, see patent document 1).

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 6453413

The flexible display must withstand repeated bending actions. Accordingly, the electronic device is required to have a structure capable of bending the display with a desired radius of curvature. In addition, flexible displays are very thin, and weak against impacts and the like. Therefore, the back surface of the flexible display needs to be supported with high flatness without steps.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device capable of stably supporting a bent display.

An electronic device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: a first frame; a second frame adjacent to the first frame; a hinge device for connecting the first frame and the second frame in a relatively rotatable manner between a first posture in which the first frame and the second frame are stacked so as to overlap each other in a plane direction and a second posture in which the first frame and the second frame are aligned with each other in a direction perpendicular to the plane direction; and a display provided between the first housing and the second housing, and having a bending region that is bent as the first housing and the second housing rotate relative to each other, the hinge device including: a hinge body extending along adjacent end portions of the first and second housings and disposed so as to span the adjacent end portions, the hinge body supporting a rear surface of the display from a front surface; a first support plate which is provided adjacent to a first edge portion of the hinge main body on the first frame side and is relatively movable with respect to the first edge portion, and which supports a rear surface of the display by a front surface; and a second support plate that is provided adjacent to and movable relative to a second edge portion of the hinge body on the second frame side, and that supports a rear surface of the display by a front surface, the hinge body including: a first locking piece protruding toward the first support plate and locked to the back surface of the first support plate in the second posture; and a second locking piece protruding toward the second support plate and locked to the back surface side of the second support plate in the second posture, wherein the first support plate has a first plate-side locking piece protruding toward the hinge body side and locked to the back surface side of the hinge body in the second posture, and the second support plate has a second plate-side locking piece protruding toward the hinge body side and locked to the back surface side of the hinge body in the second posture.

According to the above aspect of the present invention, the display that is folded can be stably supported.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a state in which an electronic device according to one embodiment is turned off and is in a 0-degree posture.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a state in which the electronic device shown in fig. 1 is opened to a 180-degree posture.

Fig. 3 is a plan view schematically showing an internal structure of the electronic apparatus shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V in fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the electronic device shown in fig. 4 is set to a 0 degree posture.

Fig. 7 is a schematic side sectional view showing a configuration example of directly locking the plate side locking piece by the hinge body.

Description of the reference numerals

10 … electronic device; 12a … first frame; 12B … second frame; 14 … hinge means; 16 … display; 20a … first plate; 20B … second panel; 22a … first support plate; 22B … second support plate; 28 … hinge body; 30a … first link arm; 30B … second link arm; 31a … first carrier; 31B … second carrier; 40a … first detent tab; 40B … second locking tab; 41A … first plate side locking piece; 41B … second plate side locking tab.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an electronic device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, by taking a preferred embodiment as an example.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a state in which an electronic device 10 according to one embodiment is closed to assume a 0-degree posture. Fig. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a state in which the electronic apparatus 10 shown in fig. 1 is opened to a 180-degree posture. Fig. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the internal configuration of the electronic apparatus 10 shown in fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the electronic device 10 includes a first housing 12A and a second housing 12B, a hinge device 14, and a display 16. The electronic apparatus 10 of the present embodiment exemplifies a tablet PC or a notebook PC that can be folded like a book. The electronic device 10 may also be a smart phone or a portable game machine or the like.

The respective housings 12A, 12B are disposed adjacent to each other. The respective housings 12A and 12B appropriately mount various electronic components such as a motherboard on which a CPU is mounted, a battery device, an antenna module, and a communication module.

The first housing 12A includes a frame member 17A and a cover member 18A. The frame member 17A is a rectangular frame-like member having a three-sided wall except for the adjacent end 12Aa adjacent to the second frame 12B. The cover member 18A is a plate-like member closing the rear opening of the frame member 17A (see also fig. 4). Similarly, the second housing 12B includes a frame member 17B having a three-sided wall except for the adjacent end 12Ba adjacent to the first housing 12A, and a cover member 18B closing the rear surface opening of the frame member 17B. The surface openings of the frame members 17A, 17B are closed by the display 16.

The members 17A, 17B, 18A, 18B are each made of, for example, a metal member such as stainless steel, magnesium, or aluminum, or a fiber-reinforced resin sheet including reinforcing fibers such as carbon fibers.

The hinge device 14 connects the housings 12A and 12B to be rotatable between a 0 degree posture and a 180 degree posture. The hinge device 14 also functions as a seal ridge that covers the gap between the adjacent end portions 12Aa and 12Ba formed in the 0-degree posture shown in fig. 1. The display 16 extends between the housings 12A and 12B.

Hereinafter, the electronic device 10 will be described with respect to an arrangement direction of the housings 12A and 12B being referred to as an X direction, a direction along the adjacent end portions 12Aa and 12Ba orthogonal thereto being referred to as a Y direction, and a thickness direction of the housings 12A and 12B being referred to as a Z direction. The angular posture between the housings 12A and 12B will be described with respect to a state in which they are stacked so as to overlap each other in the plane direction, referred to as a 0 degree posture (see fig. 1), and a state in which they are aligned with each other in a direction (X direction) perpendicular to the plane direction, referred to as a 180 degree posture (see fig. 2 and 3). The posture between 0 degrees and 180 degrees can be referred to as an appropriate angle, and for example, a state in which the plane directions of the housings 12A, 12B are orthogonal to each other becomes a 90-degree posture. These angles are for convenience of explanation, and of course, there are cases where the actual product is an angular position slightly different from the exact angular position indicated by the angular number.

Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V in fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the electronic device 10 shown in fig. 4 is set to a 0-degree posture.

In the 0 degree posture shown in fig. 1 and 6, the frames 12A and 12B are folded in half. The display 16 is a paper-like flexible display formed of organic EL. In the 0-degree posture, the display 16 is arranged such that the region R1 on the first housing 12A side and the region R2 on the second housing 12B side shown in fig. 2 face each other, and the bending region R3, which is the boundary region between the regions R1 and R2, is bent in an arc shape. In the 180-degree posture shown in fig. 2, the housings 12A, 12B are arranged in the left-right direction. At this time, the regions R1, R2 and the bending region R3 of the display 16 are arranged in an XY plane and have a flat plate shape as a whole (see also fig. 4 and 5).

The region R1 of the display 16 is fixed relative to the first housing 12A, and the region R2 is fixed relative to the second housing 12B. Specifically, the rear surface 16a of the region R1 is fixed to the first housing 12A via the first plate 20A, and the rear surface 16a of the region R2 is fixed to the second housing 12B via the second plate 20B. The first plate 20A abuts against the first support plate 22A of the hinge device 14, and the second plate 20B abuts against the second support plate 22B of the hinge device 14 (see fig. 3).

As shown in fig. 3 to 5, the plates 20A and 20B are disposed on the left and right sides so as to sandwich the hinge device 14, and the rear surface 16a of the display 16 is supported by the respective surfaces 20Aa and 20Ba. The region R1 of the back surface 16a of the display 16 is adhesively secured to the surface 20Aa of the first plate 20A, and the region R2 is adhesively secured to the surface 20Ba of the second plate 20B.

The plates 20A, 20B are constituted by, for example, a base plate 24 and a metal frame 25. The substrate 24 is, for example, a carbon fiber reinforced resin plate in which carbon fibers are impregnated with a matrix resin such as an epoxy resin. The metal frame 25 is formed of, for example, magnesium alloy, and is fixed to an outer peripheral edge portion of the back surface 24a of the substrate 24.

The plates 20A and 20B are formed of carbon fiber reinforced resin, and thus can be thinned and lightened while ensuring high flatness. However, the carbon fiber reinforced resin may have carbon fibers that fall off from the outer peripheral end surface (edge) in a powdery state, and it is difficult to shape work, screw work, and the like. Therefore, the plates 20A and 20B are provided with the metal frames 25 so as to surround the outer peripheral end surfaces and the outer peripheral portions of the rear surface 24 a. The plates 20A and 20B are fixed to the frame members 17A and 17B of the frames 12A and 12B by screwing screws 27 into screw holes 26 formed in the metal frames 25. The plates 20A, 20B may be made of a metal material or a resin material, instead of the carbon fiber reinforced resin. In this case, the metal frame 25 may be omitted.

The bending region R3 of the display 16 is movable relative to the housings 12A and 12B. In the 180-degree posture, the back surface 16a of the bending region R3 is supported by the hinge main body 28 and the support plates 22A, 22B (see fig. 4). In the 0 degree posture, the bending region R3 is bent in an arc shape, and a part of the back surface 16a is supported by the support plates 22A and 22B, and most of it is separated from the hinge device 14 (see fig. 6).

As shown in fig. 3 to 5, the hinge device 14 of the present embodiment includes a hinge main body 28, a first support plate 22A, and a second support plate 22B.

The hinge main body 28 is provided at a position crossing the adjacent end portions 12Aa, 12Ba of the frame bodies 12A, 12B, and extends over substantially the entire length in the Y direction along the adjacent end portions 12Aa, 12 Ba. The hinge body 28 is a block member formed of a metal material such as aluminum. Two hinge shafts 14A, 14B aligned in the X direction in the 180 degree posture are supported by the hinge main body 28.

The first end of the first link arm 30A is pivotally supported by the first hinge shaft 14A. The first end of the second link arm 30B is pivotally supported by the second hinge shaft 14B. The link arms 30A, 30B have dartlike curved shapes gradually approaching the inner surfaces 12Ab, 12Bb of the frames 12A, 12B in a direction away from the hinge shafts 14A, 14B.

The second end of the first link arm 30A is coupled to the first bracket 31A by a rotation shaft 34 so as to be rotatable relative to each other. The first bracket 31A is fixed to the inner surface 12Ab of the first housing 12A using screws 27 or the like. The second end of the second link arm 30B is coupled to the second bracket 31B by a rotation shaft 35 so as to be rotatable relative to each other. The second bracket 31B is fixed to the inner surface 12Bb of the second frame 12B using screws 27 or the like.

The link arms 30A and 30B and the brackets 31A and 31B are provided in plural numbers along the Y direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the hinge main body 28 (see fig. 3). Thus, the hinge body 28 connects the housings 12A and 12B to each other so as to be rotatable with respect to each other. The hinge main body 28 is further provided with a gear mechanism for synchronizing the rotational operation between the housings 12A and 12B, a torque mechanism for imparting a predetermined rotational torque to the rotational operation between the housings 12A and 12B, and the like. As shown in fig. 1 and 4, a ridge member 36 serving as a decorative cover is attached to the back surface of the hinge body 28.

In the 180 degree posture shown in fig. 4, the hinge body 28 supports the back surface 16a of the bending region R3 of the display 16 by its surface 28 a. At this time, the hinge body 28 is housed in the housings 12A and 12B and is disposed so as to span the adjacent end portions 12Aa and 12Ba that approach or abut each other in the X direction. In the 0 degree posture shown in fig. 6, the hinge body 28 is disposed so as to close the gap between the largely separated adjacent end portions 12Aa, 12Ba, and serves as a seal ridge of the electronic device 10 folded like a book. At this time, the ridge member 36 is exposed to the outermost surface, thereby preventing the exterior design of the folded electronic device 10 from being lowered (see fig. 1).

The support plates 22A and 22B are made of a metal material such as aluminum, and are formed in a laterally symmetrical shape. The support plates 22A, 22B are provided on the inner surfaces 12Ab, 12Bb side of the frames 12A, 12B, and extend over substantially the entire length in the Y direction along the adjacent end portions 12Aa, 12 Ba.

The first support plate 22A is disposed between the first plate 20A and the hinge body 28. The edge portion 22Aa of the first support plate 22A on the first plate 20A side is coupled to the first bracket 31A via a rotation shaft 38 so as to be rotatable relative to each other. The edge portion (boundary edge portion 22 Ab) of the first support plate 22A on the hinge main body 28 side can move relative to the hinge main body 28.

The second support plate 22B is disposed between the second plate 20B and the hinge body 28. The edge portion 22Ba of the second support plate 22B on the second plate 20B side is coupled to the second bracket 31B via a rotation shaft 39 so as to be rotatable relative to each other. The edge portion (boundary edge portion 22 Bb) of the second support plate 22B on the hinge main body 28 side can be moved relative to the hinge main body 28.

The support plates 22A and 22B oscillate about the rotation shafts 38 and 39 as rotation centers in accordance with the rotation operation of the frame bodies 12A and 12B. In the 180-degree posture, the support plates 22A, 22B support the back surface 16a of the bending region R3 of the display 16 via the front surfaces 22Ac, 22Bc thereof. In an angular posture other than 180 degrees, the support plates 22A and 22B are in contact with the display 16 with a gap provided therebetween or with a slight force to such an extent that the display 16 is not deformed (see fig. 6). The support plates 22A and 22B may be configured to support the bending region R3 of the display 16 even in an angular posture other than 180 degrees and correct the shape thereof. In this way, the support plates 22A, 22B stably support the bending region R3 of the display 16 in a plane at the 180 degree posture without obstructing the bending action of the bending region R3.

In the 180-degree posture shown in fig. 4 and 5, the edge portions of the plates 20A, 20B on the support plate 22A, 22B side and the edge portions 22Aa, 22Ba of the support plates 22A, 22B need to be formed in one plane without steps. Similarly, it is also necessary to form one plane without steps between the boundary edge portions 22Ab, 22Bb of the support plates 22A, 22B and the edge portions 28B, 28c of the hinge main body 28.

If the positions of the edge portions are shifted in the Z direction, steps are generated between the surfaces 20Aa and 22Ac, between the surfaces 22Ac and 28a, between the surfaces 28a and 22Bc, or between the surfaces 22Bc and 20Ba, the influence of the steps affects the display 16. Then, the display 16 may bend or fluctuate in the 180-degree posture, and product defects such as visual confirmation defects and display defects may occur. Further, if the display 16 is bent or the like, the display 16 may be immovable on a designed opening/closing rail during the opening/closing operation between the 180-degree posture and the 0-degree posture. Accordingly, the display 16 is subjected to excessive load particularly in the bending region R3 and the vicinity thereof, and there is a concern that breakage or failure occurs.

However, edge portions 22Aa, 22Ba of support plates 22A, 22B on plates 20A, 20B side are coupled to brackets 31A, 31B via rotation shafts 38, 39. Brackets 31A and 31B are fixed to frames 12A and 12B. Accordingly, the relative position of the first support plate 22A with respect to the first housing 12A is fixed, and the first plate 20A is also fixed to the first housing 12A. Similarly, the relative position of the second support plate 22B to the second housing 12B is fixed, and the second plate 20B is also fixed to the second housing 12B. Therefore, no steps other than manufacturing tolerances or the like are generated between the surfaces 20Aa and 22Ac and between the surfaces 20Ba and 22Bc, and no steps are substantially formed.

Therefore, the electronic device 10 of the present embodiment has a structure for suppressing the step between the surfaces 22Ac, 22Bc of the support plates 22A, 22B and the surface 28a of the hinge main body 28. Specifically, the electronic device 10 includes a first locking piece 40A, a second locking piece 40B, a first board-side locking piece 41A, and a second board-side locking piece 41B.

As shown in fig. 4, the first locking piece 40A is a claw-like member formed at the edge portion 28b of the hinge main body 28 on the first support plate 22A side. The first locking piece 40A protrudes toward the first support plate 22A beyond the boundary line between the hinge main body 28 and the first support plate 22A. The surface of the first locking piece 40A is locked to the back surface of the first support plate 22A in the 180-degree posture. At this time, the boundary edge portion 22Ab of the first support plate 22A is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the first locking piece 40A and the display 16.

The second locking piece 40B is a claw-like member formed at the edge portion 28c of the hinge main body 28 on the second support plate 22B side. The second locking piece 40B protrudes toward the second support plate 22B beyond the boundary line between the hinge main body 28 and the second support plate 22B. The surface of the second locking piece 40B is locked to the back surface of the second support plate 22B in the 180-degree posture. At this time, the boundary edge portion 22Bb of the second support plate 22B is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the second locking piece 40B and the display 16.

The protruding length of the locking pieces 40A, 40B is, for example, about 2 mm. Conical surfaces 42 are formed on the surfaces of the locking pieces 40A, 40B, that is, the contact surfaces with the support plates 22A, 22B. Further, tapered surfaces 43 are formed on the rear surfaces 22Ad, 22Bd of the boundary edge portions 22Ab, 22Bb of the support plates 22A, 22B at positions where the tapered surfaces 42 are brought into contact.

The tapered surface 42 is an inclined surface that gradually slopes downward away from the surface 28a as it approaches the protruding tips of the locking pieces 40A, 40B. The tapered surface 43 is an inclined surface that gradually slopes downward away from the surfaces 22Ac, 22Bc as the protruding direction of the locking pieces 40A, 40B approaches. Thus, during the pivotal movement between the housings 12A, 12B, the locking pieces 40A, 40B are prevented from locking the support plates 22A, 22B when the support plates 22A, 22B are moved relative to the hinge body 28 while being rotated relative to each other, so that a smooth pivotal movement of the support plates 22A, 22B is ensured.

Reference numeral 44 in fig. 3 and 5 is a slope member protruding from edge portions of the plates 20A, 20B on the support plate 22A, 22B side. The slope members 44 are provided in plural (for example, four) lines along the edge portions 22Aa, 22 Ba. The slope member 44 slides on the back surface 16a of the display 16 when the rotation is performed from the 180-degree posture to the 0-degree posture, and assists in correcting the bending region R3 to an appropriate shape (linear shape, curved shape) corresponding to the rotation angle. Concave relief portions for avoiding interference with the slope member 44 in the 180-degree posture are formed at the boundary edge portions 22Ab, 22Bb of the support plates 22A, 22B.

As shown in fig. 5, the first board side locking piece 41A is a claw-like member formed on the back surface 22Ad of the boundary edge portion 22Ab of the first support board 22A. The first plate-side locking piece 41A has, for example, a cross-sectional hook shape, and protrudes toward the hinge main body 28 beyond the boundary line between the first support plate 22A and the hinge main body 28. The first plate-side locking piece 41A is locked to the back side of the hinge main body 28 in the 180-degree posture.

The first plate-side locking piece 41A of the present embodiment enters the long hole 30Aa formed in the X direction of the first link arm 30A, and is locked to the back surface 30Ab of the first link arm 30A. That is, the first link arm 30A is coupled to the hinge main body 28 via the first hinge shaft 14A so as to be rotatable relative to each other, and is limited to a position at which it is rotated clockwise in fig. 5 to the maximum in the 180-degree posture. Therefore, the first plate-side locking piece 41A is locked to the first link arm 30A, thereby being locked to the back surface of the hinge main body 28, and further upward movement is restricted.

As shown in fig. 5, the second plate-side locking piece 41B is a claw-like member formed on the back surface 22Bd of the boundary edge portion 22Bb of the second support plate 22B. The second plate-side locking piece 41B has, for example, a cross-sectional hook shape, and protrudes toward the hinge main body 28 beyond the boundary line between the second support plate 22B and the hinge main body 28. The second plate-side locking piece 41B is locked to the back side of the hinge main body 28 in the 180-degree posture.

The second plate-side locking piece 41B of the present embodiment also enters the long hole 30Ba formed in the X direction of the second link arm 30B, and is locked to the rear surface 30Bb of the second link arm 30B. That is, the second link arm 30B is connected to the hinge main body 28 via the second hinge shaft 14B so as to be rotatable relative to each other, and is limited to a position at which it is rotated counterclockwise in fig. 5 to the maximum in the 180-degree posture. Therefore, the second plate-side locking piece 41B is locked to the second link arm 30B, thereby being relatively locked to the back surface of the hinge main body 28, and further upward movement is restricted.

The protruding length of the plate-side locking pieces 41A, 41B is, for example, about 2 mm. The surfaces of the plate-side locking pieces 41A, 41B may be formed of flat surfaces instead of tapered surfaces such as the locking pieces 40A, 40B. This is because the plate-side locking pieces 41A and 41B simply move in the direction of connection to and separation from the rear surfaces 30Ab and 30Bb during the rotational movement between the housings 12A and 12B, and no complicated relative rotation or relative movement of the support plates 22A and 22B and the hinge body 28 occurs.

As shown in fig. 7, the plate-side locking pieces 41A and 41B may be directly locked to the back surface 28d of the hinge body 28, instead of being locked to the link arms 30A and 30B. In fig. 7, only the second plate-side locking piece 41B and the peripheral portion thereof are shown, but the first plate-side locking piece 41A and the peripheral portion thereof may be of a structure that is bilaterally symmetrical to the structure shown in fig. 7.

As shown in fig. 3, the first locking piece 40A and the first board side locking piece 41A are arranged to be offset from each other in the Y direction. Similarly, the second locking piece 40B and the second board side locking piece 41B are arranged to be offset from each other in the Y direction. In the present embodiment, the groups of the locking pieces 40A and 40B and the plate-side locking pieces 41A and 41A are arranged in a plurality of groups, for example, 4 groups, along the Y direction.

Next, the turning operation of the housings 12A, 12B and the effect of the operation at this time will be described.

First, in the 0 degree posture shown in fig. 6, the housings 12A and 12B are in a folded state with high design properties in which the planar directions of the housings are stacked substantially parallel to each other. At this time, the display 16 is formed in a bell shape in which the bending region R3 is bent with a desired curvature. That is, the display 16 bends the bending region R3 into a desired bell shape by the plates 20A, 20B stacked in parallel with a predetermined gap therebetween. As a result, the electronic device 10 reduces the thickness of the housings 12A and 12B as much as possible, and suppresses breakage of the display 16 during bending.

Next, a case where the housing 12A, 12B is rotated from the 0 degree posture to the 180 degree posture will be described. In this case, as shown in fig. 4 to 6, the support plates 22A and 22B swing around the rotation shafts 38 and 39 and relatively move with respect to the hinge body 28 in response to the opening operation between the housings 12A and 12B. The bending region R3 of the display 16 is gradually released from the bent state by the plates 20A and 20B that are integrally operated with the housings 12A and 12B.

Then, in the 180 degree posture shown in fig. 4 and 5, the plates 20A, 20B, the hinge body 28, and the support plates 22A, 22B are arranged on the same XY plane, respectively. The surfaces 20Aa, 20Ba, 28a, 22Ac, 22Bc are arranged substantially flush with each other, and integrally form a single flat plate. The entire back surface 16a of the display 16 is supported by the flat plate, and a large screen in the form of a flat plate is formed (see also fig. 2).

Next, a case where the housing 12A, 12B is rotated from the 180 degree posture to the 0 degree posture will be described. In this case, the support plates 22A, 22B swing again and move relatively to the hinge body 28 in accordance with the closing operation between the frames 12A, 12B. The display 16 receives bending force from the plates 20A and 20B that operate integrally with the housings 12A and 12B, and the bending region R3 is gradually bent. As a result, the bending region R3 is formed again in a substantially bell shape in the 0 degree posture shown in fig. 6.

In such a turning operation, the locking pieces 40A, 40B are locked to the back surfaces 22Ad, 22Bd of the support plates 22A, 22B in the 180 degree posture shown in fig. 4. As shown in fig. 5, the plate-side locking pieces 41A and 41B are indirectly locked to the back surface 28d of the hinge main body 28 via the link arms 30A and 30B. In the 0 degree posture shown in fig. 6, the locking pieces 40A and 40B are separated from the support plates 22A and 22B, and the plate-side locking pieces 41A and 41B are also separated from the link arms 30A and 30B.

In this way, when the housing 12A, 12B is operated from the 0 degree posture to the 180 degree posture, the locking pieces 40A, 40B are locked to the opposing support plates 22A, 22B, and push up the rear surfaces 22Ad, 22Bd thereof. Similarly, the plate-side locking pieces 41A, 41B disposed offset from the locking pieces 40A, 40B lock the link arms 30A, 30B coupled to the hinge body 28 in opposition and push up them.

Thus, at the boundary portion between the hinge main body 28 and the first support plate 22A, the force with which the first locking piece 40A pushes up the first support plate 22A and the force with which the first plate-side locking piece 41A pushes up the first link arm 30A and the hinge main body 28 are restricted to each other. As a result, the edge portions 28b and 22Ab of the hinge main body 28 and the first support plate 22A are not stepped in the Z direction, and the surfaces 28a and 22Ac are arranged on the same plane and are stable.

Similarly, at the boundary portion between the hinge main body 28 and the second support plate 22B, the force with which the second locking piece 40B pushes up the second support plate 22B and the force with which the second plate-side locking piece 41B pushes up the second link arm 30B and the hinge main body 28 are also limited to each other. As a result, the edge portions 28c and 22Bb of the hinge main body 28 and the second support plate 22B are not stepped in the Z direction, and the surfaces 28a and 22Bc are arranged on the same plane and are stable.

Further, as described above, the relative positions of the support plates 22A, 22B and the plates 20A, 20B to each other are fixed, and thus no steps are generated between each other.

Accordingly, the electronic apparatus 10 stably forms a plane on the surfaces 20Aa, 20Ba, 28a, 22Ac, 22Bc supporting the display 16 in the 180 degree posture. Therefore, the electronic device 10 can stably support the display 16 in the 180-degree posture, and can suppress the occurrence of deformation of the display 16, defective products, and the like.

In this electronic device 10, the boundary edge portion 22Ab of the first support plate 22A is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the first locking piece 40A and the display 16 in the 180-degree posture. The boundary edge portion 22Bb of the second support plate 22B is also disposed so as to be sandwiched between the second locking piece 40B and the display 16. Therefore, as shown in fig. 4, the electronic device 10 is configured to be provided with the locking pieces 40A and 40B, but can ensure smooth operation of the support plates 22A and 22B and high flatness of the surfaces 28a, 22Ac and 22Bc by ensuring only a minute gap between the surface 28a and the surfaces 22Ac and 22 Bc.

In the electronic device 10, the board-side locking pieces 41A and 41B are abutted against the link arms 30A and 30B in the 180-degree posture, and thereby are relatively locked to the hinge main body 28. Thus, the electronic apparatus 10 can reliably rotate the link arms 30A, 30B to the appropriate positions with respect to the hinge main body 28 by the board-side locking pieces 41A, 41B, and press the hinge main body 28. As a result, when used in a 180 degree posture, the occurrence of rattling between the hinge main body 28 and the link arms 30A, 30B can be suppressed.

In the electronic device 10, the plurality of sets of the locking pieces 40A and 40B and the board-side locking pieces 41A and 41B arranged so as to be offset from each other in the Y direction are arranged so as to be aligned in the Y direction. Therefore, the occurrence of steps between the hinge main body 28 and the support plates 22A, 22B can be suppressed in the longitudinal direction. The first locking piece 40A and the first plate side locking piece 41A may be provided in at least 1 group, and the second locking piece 40B and the second plate side locking piece 41B may be provided in at least 1 group.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be freely modified within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.

While the electronic device 10 is described above as being foldable in two like a book, the present invention can be applied to various configurations such as a structure in which frames of the same shape are folded in two, a side-by-side door structure in which frames of a small shape are respectively connected to left and right edge portions of frames of a large shape in a foldable manner, an S-shaped folding structure in which frames of different folding directions are respectively connected to left and right edge portions of one frame, and a J-shaped folding structure in which frames of a small shape are connected to left and right edge portions of frames of a large shape in a foldable manner, and the number of connections of frames may be 4 or more.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a first frame;

a second frame adjacent to the first frame;

a hinge device that connects the first housing and the second housing so as to be rotatable relative to each other between a first posture in which the first housing and the second housing are stacked so as to overlap each other in a plane direction and a second posture in which the first housing and the second housing are aligned with each other in a direction perpendicular to the plane direction; and

a display provided between the first and second frames and having a bending region which is bent as the first and second frames relatively rotate,

the hinge device has:

a hinge body extending along abutting end portions of the first and second frames and configured to support a back surface of the display by a front surface across the abutting end portions;

a first support plate that is provided adjacent to a first edge portion of the hinge main body on the first frame side and is movable relative to the first edge portion, and that supports a back surface of the display by a front surface; and

a second support plate which is provided adjacent to and movable relative to a second edge portion of the hinge main body on the second frame side, and which supports a rear surface of the display by a front surface,

the hinge body has:

a first locking piece protruding toward the first support plate and locked to the back surface side of the first support plate in the second posture; and

a second locking piece protruding toward the second support plate and locked to the back side of the second support plate in the second posture,

the first support plate has a first plate-side locking piece that protrudes toward the hinge main body side and is locked to the back side of the hinge main body in the second posture,

the second support plate has a second plate-side locking piece that protrudes toward the hinge main body side and is locked to the back side of the hinge main body in the second posture.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

a first plate fixed to the first frame and abutting an edge portion of the first support plate on a side opposite to the hinge main body side, the first plate supporting a rear surface of the display by a front surface; and

a second plate fixed to the second frame and abutting an edge portion of the second support plate on a side opposite to the hinge main body side, the second plate supporting a rear surface of the display by a front surface,

the first support plate is supported by the edge portion on the first plate side so as to be relatively rotatable with respect to the first frame, and the relative position of the edge portion with respect to the first plate is fixed,

the second support plate is supported by the edge portion on the first plate side so as to be rotatable relative to the second frame, and the relative position of the edge portion with respect to the second plate is fixed.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a memory device,

an edge portion of the first support plate on the hinge body side is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the first locking piece and the display when in the second posture,

an edge portion of the second support plate on the hinge body side is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the second locking piece and the display in the second posture.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the electronic device comprises a plurality of electronic devices,

the first locking piece and the first support plate have tapered surfaces on each of the mutually locked surfaces that incline away from the surface of the hinge body in a direction toward the protruding direction of the first locking piece,

the second locking piece and the second support plate each have a tapered surface inclined in a direction away from the surface of the hinge main body in a direction toward the protruding direction of the second locking piece at each of the mutually locked surfaces.

5. The electronic device according to any one of claim 1 to 4, wherein,

the hinge device further has:

a first bracket fixed to the first frame;

a second bracket fixed to the second frame;

a first link arm having a first end portion relatively rotatably supported by the hinge body and a second end portion relatively rotatably supported by the first bracket; and

a second link arm having a first end portion relatively rotatably supported by the hinge body and a second end portion relatively rotatably supported by the second bracket,

the first plate-side locking piece is abutted against the first link arm in the second posture, thereby being oppositely locked to the hinge main body,

the second plate-side locking piece is brought into contact with the second link arm in the second posture, and is thereby locked to the hinge body in a facing manner.

6. The electronic device according to any one of claim 1 to 4, wherein,

the first locking piece and the first board side locking piece are arranged in a staggered manner relative to the length direction of the adjacent end part, a plurality of groups are arranged along the length direction of the adjacent end part,

the second locking piece and the second board side locking piece are arranged in a staggered manner relative to the length direction of the adjacent end, and a plurality of groups are arranged along the length direction of the adjacent end.